This roundup of 18 best chili recipes covers every game day chili need: crowd-sized pots like Smoky Beer Chili and Texas Chili, twists like White Chicken and Buffalo Chicken Chili, meatless and vegan options, make-ahead slow cooker chili, and creative ways to serve chili beyond the bowl.
Whether you’re hosting a full watch party, bringing a dish to a tailgate, or planning a Super Bowl feast, every recipe here runs on Red Gold Tomatoes. From the Chili Ready line (pre-seasoned for speed) to Diced Tomatoes + Green Chilies (built for a kick), Red Gold Tomatoes are the base that ties all 18 recipes together.
Crowd-Pleasing Game Day Chili
A good game day chili for a crowd needs to do three things: feed a lot of people, pack bold flavor, and hold well on low heat for hours of snacking and halftime refills. These four recipes check every box.
Smoky Beer Chili
This rich, smoky game day chili recipe combines ground beef and Italian sausage with a bottle of beer, chipotle peppers, smoked paprika, and a touch of cocoa powder for depth, all built on Red Gold Fire Roasted Petite Diced Tomatoes. The recipe is great for game days, and with just 20 minutes of prep and 1 hour 15 minutes to simmer, it serves 6 so double it if you’re expecting a full house. With toppings like sour cream, avocado, cheddar, green onions, lime, jalapeño and chips, this beer chili is sure to please.
Texas Chili
This bean-free Texas chili recipe simmers beef stew meat and ground beef with chipotle sauce, beer, and Red Gold Petite Diced Tomatoes until deeply rich. Prep takes 15 minutes; cook time is 1 hour 30 minutes, and it serves 10, making this Texas-sized dish one of the biggest batches on the list. Serve it with scoop-style corn chips so guests can build their own bowl.
All-American Chili
This fan favorite combines lean ground beef with Red Gold Fire Roasted Petite Diced Tomatoes, Red Gold Fire Roasted Tomato Paste and Bush’s Chili Beans, finished with Mission Tortilla Strips and shredded cheddar. It’s ready in under 40 minutes and serves 8, perfect for feeding your next game day party crowd. It’s American chili that is ideal when you need a big pot without an all-day commitment.
Perfect Chili
When time is tight, chili ready tomatoes are the answer. This five-ingredient chili includes ground beef simmered with Red Gold Chili Ready Diced Tomatoes, Crushed Tomatoes, and Tomato Sauce, pre-seasoned so the flavor builds itself. It’s ready in about 30 minutes and serves 8, making it a smart halftime fix or same day invite option.
Serving Suggestions
With a slow cooker on low and a spread of small bowls filled with shredded cheddar, sour cream, green onions, jalapeños (fresh and pickled), red onion, avocado, cilantro, lime wedges, and crunchy tortilla strips or corn scoops, your guests can build the perfect bowl whenever hunger strikes during the game. Add a pan of golden cornbread or a crusty loaf on the side, and you’ve got a warm, welcoming spread that keeps everyone fed and happy from kickoff to the final whistle.
Game Day Twists on Classic Chili
If you and your crowd want something beyond the usual beef-and-beans pot, these different types of chili recipes swap in new proteins and flavor profiles without sacrificing the heartiness a game day buffet demands.
Easy White Chicken Chili
Shredded rotisserie chicken simmers with Red Gold Petite Diced Tomatoes + Green Chilies and Bush’s White Chili Beans for a lighter, non-beef option that’s ready in about 40 minutes and serves 8. Make your own chili bar with cheese, sour cream, cilantro, lime, avocado, and tortilla chips so guests can customize their bowl.
Easy Chorizo Chili
Spicy, smoky Mexican-style chorizo gives this one-pot chili its deep red color and bold flavor, with only 5 minutes of prep before it simmers for about 30 minutes. It serves 8, making this chorizo chili a fast way to add serious heat without extra dishes to wash.
Buffalo Chicken Chili
Built around spicy chicken sausage, beans, and a tangy buffalo broth, this Buffalo chicken chili is finished with cream cheese and sharp cheddar for a result that tastes like game day wings in a hearty bowl. Prep takes 20 minutes, cook time is 40 minutes, and it serves 6. Top it with blue cheese, green onion, and pickled jalapeño for the full Buffalo wing effect.
Meatless Chili for Mixed Crowds
Every watch party has a vegetarian or vegan guest, and these four vegetarian recipes are hearty enough that meat eaters won’t feel like they’re missing out.
Potato Chili
One of the most popular recipes on this list, this vegetarian chili uses potatoes, vegetables, and kidney beans for a thick, filling pot that includes about 15 minutes to prep and 36 minutes to cook, serving 6. It’s a satisfying vegetarian chili with potatoes that holds up well next to heartier meat options.
Quick Veggie Chili
Garbanzo and black beans form the base of this chili, ready in about 20 minutes start to finish, serving 6. A great choice for tailgating with vegetarian friends, this quick veggie chili is an easy last-minute addition to any game day spread.
Plant-Based Chili
Made with Impossible plant-based “ground beef,” this chili eats just like a classic beef version, with 15 minutes of prep and 1 hour of cook time, serving 8. It’s vegan if you skip the cheese topping the recipe includes, making this plant-based chili recipe flexible for mixed dietary needs.
Vegetarian Quinoa Chili
Quinoa and three kinds of beans, including kidney, black, and pinto, simmer in a vegetable-broth base for a chili that’s vegan and gluten-free as written. Prep takes just 10 minutes and cook time is 40 minutes, serving 12 (the largest meatless batch on this list), and it refrigerates up to 3 days or freezes up to 3 months, so this veggie chili recipe can be made well ahead of kickoff.
Slow Cooker Chili You Can Make Ahead
For hosts who’d rather be watching pregame coverage than stirring a pot, slow cooker chili is the answer. Yes, you can make chili ahead of time for game day. Most of these recipes are designed to simmer for hours while you handle everything else on your to-do list (more on timing in the FAQs below).
Sausage & Sweet Potato Chili
Italian sausage, black beans, and sweet potatoes come together in this chili, where the natural sweetness balances the spicy sausage. With just 15 minutes of morning prep and 6 hours in the slow cooker, this sweet potato chili is ready by kickoff and serves 8.
Pulled Pork Chili
Pork shoulder slow-cooks for 8 hours until it shreds into a slightly spicy, slightly sweet, tomato-rich chili that serves 10. An Instant Pot option is also included for same-day games when you don’t have a full day to let it cook. This pulled pork chili is sure to delight your crowd, even if their team is losing.
Black Bean Chili
Three pounds of lean ground beef combine with black beans and Red Gold Crushed Tomatoes, Tomato Puree, and Diced Tomatoes for a rich chili that serves 8. It cooks 6 to 8 hours on low or 2 to 3 hours on high, so it’s perfect for an early kickoff or a prime-time matchup.
Black Bean Turkey Pumpkin Chili
Lean ground turkey, black beans, vegetables, and pumpkin make this a lighter chili with a seasonal twist. Serving 10, it’s one of the largest slow cooker batches in this roundup, along with the pulled pork chili recipe. It cooks 4 to 5 hours on low; top with avocado and green onions for a fall-friendly finish.
Chili Beyond the Bowl
Chili doesn’t have to stay in a bowl to work for game day. These creative chili recipes turn the same bold flavors into grazing food that’s easy to eat while watching the action.
Easy One Skillet Chili Mac
Beef, macaroni, and cheddar come together in one skillet with Red Gold Chili Ready Tomato Sauce, ready in about 30 minutes, serving 6. This chili mac is a kid-friendly way to fill out a buffet table without extra cleanup.
Chili Cheese Dog Sliders
These pull-apart sliders feature a ketchup-based chili sauce that will remind you of your favorite ballpark food. With 25 minutes of prep and 25 minutes of cook time, it serves 6. They’re kid-friendly and easy to double if your guest list grows.
Loaded Chili Cheese Dogs
Hot dogs get piled high with homemade beef and kidney bean chili, cheddar, red onion, and pickled jalapeños in this recipe, which takes 15 minutes to prep and 25 minutes to cook, serving 12. The hot dogs can be grilled or cooked in a skillet, so this recipe works equally well at a tailgate or at home.
Chili Sides and Best Ways to Serve Chili
Pair any of these dishes with cornbread, a simple green salad, or tortilla chips. For a buffet-style setup, chili mac and loaded chili dogs both work as standalone stations guests can visit throughout the game.
Frequently Asked Questions
Plan on roughly 1 to 1.5 cups of chili per guest when it’s the main dish. If chili is one of several options on a larger spread, you can scale that down to about ¾ cup per person.
Yes. Most chili recipes actually taste better the next day as the flavors continue to develop. The slow cooker recipes above are specifically built to simmer for hours, making them ideal for prepping before kickoff or even the night before.
Common styles include classic beef and bean chili, Texas-style chili (made without beans), white chicken chili, chorizo chili, buffalo chicken chili, and vegetarian chili. Each swaps in different proteins or skips meat entirely while keeping the same bold, simmered flavor base.
Tailgate chili is usually a big-batch, hearty recipe, often built with sausage, beer, or both. It holds well on low heat and travels easily in a slow cooker. The goal is maximum flavor with minimal attention once it’s cooking.
Three things make the biggest difference: tomato depth from a quality base like Red Gold Tomatoes, enough simmer time for the flavors to meld, and a flavor booster like beer, cocoa powder, or chipotle peppers to add complexity.
Your Game Day Chili Lineup, Sorted
With 18 recipes to choose from, the right pot of game day chili comes down to your time, your crowd, and the flavors your guests love most. Whichever recipe you choose, Red Gold Tomatoes brings the same reliable depth of flavor to every pot on this list.
As football season marches on toward the Super Bowl, this list is built to keep scoring for you. Come back whenever you need a new chili recipe for the next big game.
Explore Red Gold’s quality standards and browse the full Red Gold recipe hub for more game day inspiration!
Related Products
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Fire Roasted Petite Diced Tomatoes with Roasted Garlic 14.5 oz 
Fire Roasted Petite Diced Tomatoes with Roasted Garlic 14.5 oz
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Fire Roasted Tomato Paste 6 oz 
Fire Roasted Tomato Paste 6 oz
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Fire Roasted Petite Diced Tomatoes 14.5 oz 
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